2011-2012 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Curriculum and Instruction (C&I), MA
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The Master of Arts degree (MA) in Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) is primarily designed for licensed, practicing teachers who desire to continue developing their professional expertise. The program is also open to students in the ALP or the master’s level TEP, previously described in detail, who may use selected course work as part of their degree plan.
The College offers a Master of Arts degree with five possible areas of emphasis, including the General C&I Emphasis, Linguistically Diverse Education Emphasis (LDE—formerly ESL), Leadership Emphasis, Reading Emphasis, and Science Education Emphasis. A minimum of 30 credit hours of course work is required for the degree. Some emphasis areas require more hours.
Most courses in this master’s degree program emphasize the application of electronic technology in teaching. Students entering the program must be proficient in using electronic technology in C&I. Students who do not have adequate skills in word processing, accessing the Internet, sending and receiving e-mail, and making electronic presentations, etc. are advised to seek out remedial training before beginning the program.
The College of Education also offers an online option for the MA in Curriculum and Instruction.
Outcomes
- Students will clearly demonstrate a functional knowledge of the past/current research on the target issue by developing and writing an extensive review of current literature.
- Students will be able to promote and model excellence in their profession by comprehensively reviewing, analyzing, and discussing knowledge of best practices in their field of study and by analyzing and discussing the current research in their fields, both in the written document and in the Power Point® presentation.
- Students will be able to apply the knowledge and skills gained in their program of study toward advancement in their current positions or pursuit of a new position.
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Required Core Courses
All C&I Master’s degree students complete a core of work that asks them to do the following:
- Examine educational issues from the perspective of their social context
- Become intelligent consumers of research and apply research to their instructional settings
To this end the degree requires these core courses: MA in Curriculum & Instruction—General Curriculum and Instruction Emphasis
The General Curriculum & Instruction Emphasis is designed for students with broad interests in the field of education as opposed to those who wish to concentrate in a particular area of the curriculum. Students will complete the Core Course requirement (above), select a cognate field that allows concentration of their course work in an area of instruction in which they wish to develop their expertise, and select electives from other areas of the school curriculum to pursue a broad array of interests.
MA Core Courses—12 Credit Hours (see above)
Cognate Fields—9 Credit Hours
Students may choose their cognate field from the following areas: Counseling and Human Services, Gifted and Talented Education, Leadership, Mathematics, Reading, Science Education, Special Education, Educational Technology, and Linguistically Diverse Education (LDE) formerly ESL. Electives—9 Credit Hours
The 9 credit hours of elective courses may come from either the COE or the College of LAS MA in Curriculum & Instruction—Linguistically Diverse Education (LDE) Emphasis
The Master of Arts program in Linguistically Diverse Education (LDE, formerly English as a Second Language) is designed primarily for teachers who wish to improve their effectiveness with English Language Learners or to become leaders in the field of LDE. The program is appropriate for teachers at all levels (K-12) who wish to learn more about applying contemporary LDE teaching strategies in their schools. General Requirements
The LDE program requires a total of 30 credit hours of course work. A master’s project is required. MA in Curriculum & Instruction—Reading Emphasis
General Requirements
The MA in C&I with a Reading Emphasis requires 40 credit hours. Of these, 33 credits (11 courses) are core requirements and seven credits (2 courses) are practicum experiences. The course work culminates in a research project that investigates a specific question related to literacy, analyzes the relevant data, and comes to a conclusion that may be useful in the practical instruction of reading. Total: 11 Courses/33 Credits
Total: 2 Courses/7 Credits
MA in Curriculum & Instruction—Science Education Emphasis
The Master of Arts in Curriculum & Instruction program in Science Education is designed primarily for teachers who wish to improve their science teaching skills or become leaders in the field of science education. The program is appropriate for teachers at all levels (K-12) who wish to learn more about applying contemporary science teaching strategies in their schools.
The program is designed to provide classroom teachers with a sound background in current science education research, theory and practice. Emphasis is placed on utilization of inquiry strategies, manipulative activities, and science process skills as a basis for science instruction. Teachers completing this program will be prepared to teach science in a self-contained setting, serve as science teachers for schools utilizing departmentalization, serve as a science resource teacher at the school or district level, or pursue an advanced degree in science education. Science Education Program
The Science Education program requires a total of 30 credit hours of course work:
- 12 to 18 hours of science education (Offered through COE)
- 12 to 18 hours of other COE courses, including LEAD 5600-3, LEAD 5700-3, and CURR 5090-3. (CURR 5002 is not required.)
- 0 to 6 hours of Letters, Arts, and Science (3000 level or above) or Space Foundation courses
Space Studies Track
The Space Studies Track of the Science Education program requires 33 credit hours of course work:
- 15 hours of Space Foundation courses (Offered by the Space Foundation through Extended Studies)
- 9 hours of Science Education courses
- 9 hours of COE courses including LEAD 5600-3, LEAD 5700-3, and CURR 5090-3. (CURR 5002 is not required.)
Online Option—MA in Curriculum & Instruction
The C&I online MA is designed to provide professional educators increased knowledge of current research on teaching and learning and its contexts and to help them apply that research in their practice. In addition, the degree provides an opportunity for teachers to focus on an area of interest and to develop increased skills and knowledge in that area.
The UCCS College of Education offers the online degree in three tracks for licensed teachers:
- General Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction (30 semester hours)
- Master’s Degree in Reading (40 semester hours)
- Master’s Degree in Linguistically Diverse Education (formerly ESL) (30 semester hours)
Admission Criteria
Online Master’s Degree candidates must demonstrate practical knowledge in the field of teaching along with the research skills and practices necessary for graduate-level work.
To be admitted to the program, the applicant must meet the following criteria:
- Hold a Baccalaureate degree and teaching license
- Document a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75 and a graduate GPA of 3.0
- Complete GRE or MAT
- Successful experience teaching
Application Process
- Interview with Department Chair or Department faculty
- Submit three letters of recommendation (one academic, two professional)
- Submit evidence of successful teaching experience
- Submit personal goal statement
- Submit a completed program application
Following admission into the Online Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, candidates may enroll for both online and on campus graduate courses in the College of Education; however, prior to enrolling in online courses, candidates must receive written approval from the Chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
For further information on the Online MA in Curriculum and Instruction, contact Cindy Brown, (719) 255-4344; e-mail: cbrown@uccs.edu.
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